Colorado Avalanche / NHL

Fortunately for Avs, Jan Hejda's not a quitter

Avalanche defenseman Jan Hejda has three goals and seven assists in 32 games this season. He leads the team at plus-19, with defensive partner Erik Johnson, at plus-17, the only other player on the team better than plus-9. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

It was seven years ago this week that Jan Hejda sat alone in a hotel room in Hamilton, Ontario, seriously thinking he should quit his NHL dreams and move with his wife and young daughter back to the Czech Republic. At least he knew he'd have a professional team there who'd take him back, and it was still his homeland.

Having just been sent by the Edmonton Oilers to their farm team in Hamilton, Hejda was an NHL rookie who spoke little English, whose wife and young daughter were back in Edmonton where he was supposed to be had he not failed, and had been sent to this awful outpost.

"It was tough. I was a 27-year-old guy who'd already won a world championship with the Czech, but they were treating me like I was 19 and just a rookie," Hejda said. "I'm doing bag skates in Hamilton, missing my family. I wanted to go home."

Don't quit just yet, Hejda's wife, Tereza, told him over the phone. You've been through tough moments like this before, she told him, what's one more? Give it to the new year, she said.

But it wasn't until Edmonton scout Frank Musil came on the line that Hejda started to settle down a bit.

Musil, a fellow native of the Czech Republic, told Hejda the Oilers still had hope for him. He just had to pay some dues in Hamilton, and he'd get another chance in Edmonton. He convinced Hejda it wasn't time to give up, that there were more moves to play.

Hejda essentially got a leave of absence from Hamilton to go spend a few days at Christmas time with his family. Then, an injury on the Oilers' defense gave him the chance to play there again, opposite Oilers captain Jason Smith. Soon after the season, Scott Howson moved from Edmonton as assistant general manager to Columbus to be the Blue Jackets' general manager. One of his first moves was to give Hejda an offer as a free agent, but with one condition: "He said I had to decide in 30 minutes.

I found out later that he did that because he knew Edmonton was going to make me an offer, so he wanted me to sign real quick before they could talk to me," Hejda said.

From almost quitting to having two teams fighting over him; Hejda learned his lesson.

"When people ask me what do you have to do to make it in the NHL, I tell them you need to work hard, and you have to be lucky," Hejda said. "So many guys didn't make it because the coach didn't like him or something. But they are good players. A lot of them just don't get the chance. And maybe some of them do what I almost did — quit."

Hejda's father is the most superstitious man you've never met. For years, whenever going to a game played by his son, he stood in the same location in the arena. Right above the lower bowl, in the alcove by center ice, Hejda's dad was there for every game.

"He never sat down, always in the concourse in the same place at center ice, always yelling," Hejda said. "Even when I played pro hockey, he stayed in the same place. He got into a fight with a guy once over the spot."

Hejda's dad stays back in the Czech Republic now, watching his son play on satellite TV.

Hejda found himself as an NHL player in Columbus. He credits former Blue Jackets Ken Hitchcock for much of his development. After some solid seasons with the Blue Jackets, the Avs gave him a quick, take-it-or-leave-it offer to join them in 2011.

"I decided in about 10 seconds. I had an offer first from Washington, but Colorado was a place I was more intrigued to play," he said.

Hejda suffered through two losing seasons with the Avs after signing a four-year, $13.25 million contract. New coach Patrick Roy challenged him to "get out of your comfort zone" in training camp, and Hejda responded.

"He's been a great player for us this year, and it's a credit to his hard work," Roy said.

Hejda, at 34, is having a career year. He has three goals and seven assists, and his plus-19 leads the team. Paired with Erik Johnson, he is counted upon by Roy to play against the opposition's top line every game.

"I'm so happy this happened to me," Hejda said. " Patrick just made me play the right way. When you get older, you think your experience will be enough to play. But it's not true. Good position is not good enough to play in the NHL anymore. You have to really skate and be one step ahead of the play in your mind."

Said Johnson of Hejda: "You don't have to worry about a guy like Jan when you're his partner. You know he's already ahead of things. Really, it's my job just to try and do the same right things he does."

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